Ground Water Pollution / Depletion

Ground water Pollution [1] and depletion are the major threats being faced in major cities of India in general and Bangalore in particular.

To days [02March2011] Hindu story “Law Graduate found among homeless during night census” is about a senior citizen from Bangalore who was a successful farmer till his irrigation well went dry. I tried to get the link to this story but unfortunately the Hindu epaper is not in the free domain. Hence I went and purchased a copy after returning from Vikram Hospital where I saw the page 3 Hindu story reclining on the beautiful Sofa at the Hospital.

The story is about this person who was a successful farmer before his bore well went dry as the neighbor dug a deeper bore well. This person is a Law Graduate too! By the way this neighbor of his sells this ground water now.

I am also in a similar predicament, as my neighbor is making a big deep Tank for his BWSSB water, which is deeper than our tank. This has made me suffer sleepless nights as I am afraid about the consequences. BWSSB supplies drinking water by tankers. The number of tankers they have is miniscule when compared the number, the Water Tanker mafia in Bangalore has. Our BJP MLA’s do collect hafta money from these tanker people, I believe.

There is no solution for ground water depletion. However pollution of ground water can be done away with. Will the bribe taking ministers wake up before it is too late?

Comments

As of now it is legal. All of us do have to buy this water in emergencies. Probably taxing this water heavily may be a solution. I have no idea whether any body in our cabinet has thought about this problem. Is Investing in a water tanker be worthwhile, Murali772 sir?

The groundwater table depletion is a serious threat recognized by our government. That is why the government has brought in legislation to make RWH compulsory for all house holds built on 60x40 and above sites in Bangalore. The harvested water is in fact used for ground water infiltration.

The sustainable density of population in our city of Bangalore has a limitation with the amount of average annual (a) rain fall expected and (b) Cauvery water available. For this the ground water contribution well exceeds the area of the city if the density of population is more.

Just returned from a visit to my native place, a small town in Jharkhand. There is no proper piped water supply from the "Nagar nigam" (aka the municipality, which is in shambles, as you would expect), so ground water is the source for all. The town has seen lot of "growth" recently, many new houses have been built. And to top it all, rains have failed for last two years.

Result? Very very scary. The well we have always used for water at our house has almost dried. Unimaginable. Some areas where water has always been "too deep" are in trouble already.

Every time I return after a visit to this town, I feel that talking about Urban development etc in "almost hope-less cases" like Bangalore is perhaps not worth our time. We may touch lot more lives, and make much bigger difference be focusing on smaller towns who are literally helpless and are "growing" virtually uncontrolled, with no support (constructive criticism, ideation, suggestions, consultations whatever) from anyone at all.

You are 100% right. As Gandhi had said India lives in villages, it would be a worth while effort to take up the cause of less fortunes.

The story you have narrated is very familiar. This is true of majority of villages and towns in India. This is the story of other India who have been long forgotten by the so called Governments (State and Central), uncaring urban middle class and indifferent bureaucracy.

SB what is meant by "growing virtually Uncontrolled"? Is it uncontrolled growth of population, Development or Greed? It reminds me of Sanjay Gandhi and his family planning campaign which did fail miserably.

Sanjay also publicly initiated a widespread family planning program to limit population growth. But this resulted in government officials and police officers forcibly performing vasectomies in order to meet quotas and in some cases, sterilizing women as well. Officially, men with two children or more had to submit to sterilization, but many unmarried young men, political opponents and ignorant, poor men were also believed to have been sterilized. This program is still remembered and criticized in India, and is blamed for creating a public aversion to family planning, which hampered Government programmers’ for decades.

On the other hand family planning incentives did not cause any embarrassment to the government. However it did not have significant impact either, as it touched only a miniscule population of government babus. The poor think of having more children to increase their income. The rich tend to restrict their numbers. If you think of it the poor should be encouraged to restrict their numbers. We give ration cards / cooking gas to poor which is misused by people not so poor. This is a governance failure.

There is a nature’s way of selection. The epidemic like small pox which has been wiped off from the planet was one such. Epidemics like HIV are taking its place.

Unbridled development fueled by greed [Present day Rajas] is however sure to bring the dooms day nearer than imagined. The migration of rural poor to cities like Bangalore is inevitable by the present day politics of greed?

I 'am also facing same problem what mr.psaram is facing. To be frank my problem is more sivaere then mr.psaram. next to my house some one brought the site, put the borewell and started selling the water through tankers. every day around 10 to 12 times the tankers will take water from earth.

Can anyone let me know to whom i have to complain against this water tanker business. I thinkl the person who sells the water didn't have any proper license.

please tell me to whom i should contact to rise complaint against these water sellers.

Welcome to Praja. By the way I have no problem with the Tankers. Fortunately we get Cauvery Water alternate days, in HAL III stage. My Architect has provided a ground level storage tank sufficient for a weeks need. In addition to this we have over head tanks and pump to fill them as and when required.

Gone are the days when we used to get 24 hrs Cauvery water. There was no concept of over head tanks in 1950s.

Moving water by tankers should be avoided if possible. It is expensive and difficult to organize. It should be seen as a temporary measure to allow for the development of a more sustainable solution. Tankering, however, is a common method for delivering water Immediately after an emergency has happened while more long term measures are being put in place; where the emergency is thought to be temporary and the situation will return to normal soon; and where security and political problems make it difficult to change to a more sustainable approach. In the last case, Tankering may continue for long periods – sometimes for years. [1]

As an emergency measure Tankers are useful. As such I don’t think one can think of banning them. You can work out a deal with the tanker fellow to fill your storage tanks on a daily basis at concessional rates as he is next door to you!

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